Display-tray.



No. 731,964. PATEN'IED JUNE 23, 1903. J. H. SMITH.

DISPLAY TRAY.

APPLIOATIDN FILED un 15, woz.

N0 MODEL.

|` lnu.

' l BY ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT OEEIcE.

DIS PLAY-TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 731,964, dated June 23, 1903. Application filed May l5, 1902. Serial No. 107,389. (No model.)

Z'o a/ZZ whom, t may concer/b.-

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county ot' Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Displayrlray, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to store furniture; and its object is to provide a new and improved display-traygnore especially designed for containing and neatly displaying hosiery and like articles and arranged to hold different sizes of an article of a certain price.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a perspective view of the improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. is a transverse section of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. eis an enlarged face view of one of the false bottoms.

The body A of the tray is preferably made rectangular in shape and consists of the sides A' A2, the head end A3, the foot end A4, and the bottom A5, and the said box-body is provided with sidewise-extending partitions B B', of which the partition B extends between the sides A' and A2 a distance from and parallel to the head end A3, while the other partition, B', extends from the side A' to the side A2 in an oblique direction between the end A4 and the partition B and somewhat nearer to the end A4, as plainlyin dicated in Fig. l. Trans- Verse parallel partitions C are arranged between the end A'L and the oblique partition B', and similar transverse partitions O' extend between the oblique partition B' and the head partition B, and a partition C2 extends between the head partition B and the head end A3. The partitions O are one, two, or more in number than the partitions O', so that the entire box-body is divided into gradually-increasing compartments for accommodating the diiferent sizes of a single article in quantities, say, of a half-dozen or dozen of each size. The smaller sizes are accommodated in the compartments adjacent to the head end A3,'and the following sizes arc displayed in the compartments between the end A4 and partition B', beginning at the righthand side, and the larger sizes are displayed in the compartments between the partitions B' and B, beginning at the left-hand side of the box-body, as willbe readily understood by reference to Fig. l.

The articles in the' tray are of the same price and the price thereof is indicated on a display-card D, set in a slot A7, formed in a head A, integral with the head end A3 and resting on the top thereof, as plainly shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3. In the front face of the head A6 is formed an opening A8, leading to the slot AT, so as to display the numeral on the price-card D, the numeral indicating the price of the articles in the tray.

\Vhen each compartment is lled with, say, half -dozen or a dozen pairs of hose, for instance, then the uppermost pair is flush with the top of the box-body; but when, say, two or three pairs have been sold of a certain size then the tray does not present a neat appearance, as the uppermost pair of the article in compartments of which some have been sold are lower than those in the other compartments, and in order to keep the uppermost pairs as near as possible to the top of the box after some of the pairs have been sold I provide false bottoms E, one for each compartment, corresponding in size to the co1n partment, to normally rest on the bottom thereof-that is, as long as the compartment is filled with 'a half-dozen of the articles. Now when some of the articles have been sold from a compartment the false bottom E therein is lifted from the bottom A5 and placed on lugs F F', set inthe corners of the compartment between the bottom A5 and the top thereof. Then this has been done, the articles are placed on the false bottom E, held in a resting position midway .between the bottom A5 and the top of the compartment, so that the few remaining articles are neatly displayed in the traythat is, with the uppermost article close to or Hush with the top of the compartment. In order to allow of placing the false bottoms in thc bot- ICO' tom of the compartments, it is necessary that one set of lugs (preferably the lugs F) be shortened, as indicated in Fig. 2, to allow of swinging the false bottom E downward, one side edge thereof restingin a bottom corner of the compartment. (See dotted lines in the left-hand compartment in Fig. 2.) Each of the false bottoms E is provided at its side with cut-out portions E to form a `handle for conveniently manipulating the n false bottom to place the same on the bottom A5 or on the lugs F F', as above described. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A display-tray having compartments of a gradually-increasing size to accommodate `the different sizes of an article, lugs in each of jections for supporting the false bottoms, and false bottoms for each of said compartments, said false bottoms being arranged to be supported on the projections above the fixed bottoms, or on the said fixed bottoms, whereby the several compartments, Whether full, or only partially supplied with the merchandise to be exhibited, may be caused to present a uniform appearance bythe manipulation of the false bottoms, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A display-tray having a series of compartments of a gradually-increasing size, projections in each of the said compartments, between the bottom and top thereof, and a false bottom for each compartment adapted to be removably supported on the said pro jections and having their edges notched or cut out to form a handle portion, substantially as set forth.

In testimony-whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HENRY v SMITH.

Vitnesses:

J. L. F. PHILGUS, ARTHUR BITToNA. 

